I was talking about Johnny Carson to a waiter at the diner the other day. He’s a nice guy, but distressingly young. It was pretty obvious he had no idea of who Johnny Carson was. I referred him to this week’s podcast where there are some reminders of Mr. Carson’s “Carnack The Magnificent” bits. It goes like this:
According to Johnny Carson…if you’re a member of the Louie Louie Generation you remember Johnny Carson…according to Johnny Carson if the answer is rub a dub dub, the question is what does a masseuse do to your dub dub. How about if the answer is Camelot, the question is where do Arabs park their camels. I miss Johnny Carson. My favorite was if the answer is sis boom baahh, the question is what’s the sound an exploding sheep makes. As I said, I miss Mr. Carson.
Carson’s writers were clever and sophisticated. They probably retired when Johnny did, most unfortunately. When I was in high school, I take a nap and stay up for part of the Tonight Show. It was that good even on the “ordinary” nights with minor guests.
Writers don’t get enough credit.